On the way to French Lick, Z saw a billboard for the Tee Box driving range so we made a detour. The Tee Box was basically somebody's huge front lawn with golf tees set up. Next to the golf tees was a blue garage and further down was the main house. There was no one around but an Open sign hung on the blue garage which housed golf clubs and buckets of balls. A white marker board read "Small Bucket $2" "Big Bucket $3" "Free Kittens" and on a stool next to it was a plastic ice cream bucket with some bills weighted down by rocks. Z left 3 bux on the stool and we started hitting balls. It was pretty idyllic. Rain was just sprinkling down and nobody was around.
Well eventually, a young dude came out of the house and turns out he's a musician in a heavy metal/speed metal band called...Bloodshed Ransom. He had bleached blonde/orange and jet black hair and seemed more like someone from Seattle than whatever town between Orleans and French Lick, Indiana. I mean, come on, this is John Cougar Mellencamp territory! His name was Will and his folks owned the property.
T-Box
Butternut
Well, eventually his white lab showed up and then a cute little soft grey/white kitten appeared. I picked it up and never let go. Hot on its heels, another little grey/white kitten came walking up. They smelled of skunk and were wet from the rain. Will said a cat gave birth in the garage a few weeks ago and disappeared. He thinks she got caught up in the construction across the street. So now his family has 5 kittens they need to give away, thus the "free kittens" sign. Zandy and I fell in love with them and could not leave them to the coyotes. Will's dad was ready to release them - who knows where they would've gone. Crazy as it might be, we adopted the two little wild Indianan kitties for happy times in New York. Logistically, it's insane but we really could not leave them.
So Will thought they were both girls and after checking them out, we agreed. But the 2nd kitty, much smaller and super hyper, seems more like a boy. He's a terror! Scampering and running around all the time. The 1st one is soft and calm, very mellow, just purrfect (sorry). They're both so soft n lovely.
I hate to say it but thank god for the Walmart Super Center! Ahahaaa... Just down the road from the T-Box, we found all the supplies we needed for our long drive to Memphis. Kitty litter, food, bowl... Sorted. The kitties sat in my lap and climbed over our shoulders. We all arrived safe and sound in Tennessee and with so much time to spare before the car had to be returned. My plans to see Graceland and the Stax Museum and Sun Studios changed now that we had the kittens, so we headed straight to Oxford, Mississippi where Z's folks live. How quickly and easily my priorities shifted!
We went and saw the local vet, Dr. Harland and turns out, the 1st soft and calm kitty is a boy. We named him Butternut and I think we're keeping it although it sounds like a girl's name. Butternut is a tree found commonly in Indiana and incidentally, it's the colour of his loose stool. I still call him her. I don't think he notices. The spry A.D.D. one is named T-Box - kinda street, it suits her. We'll take them carry on and put them under our seats when we fly back to New York in a few days. I hope L takes to them well - I think she will. She's very social.
For those who know me, I am super allergic to cats. I'm quaffing my quercetine but it doesn't seem to be working. A scratch or too much rubbing up against me will bring on hives but no worries. I'm building an immunity and if that doesn't work, I'll get shots. The kittens are too cute to deny.
Missouri Rest Stop On the Way to Memphis
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